“Y – Sail” 
Launch Weekend 10th & 11th September
So what’s this all about?
Ilfracombe Yacht Club wanted to encourage youngsters out on the water to go dinghy sailing. So they started a project, together with Ilfracombe Arts College, called Y Sail. They have just been awarded a grant from Sport England for £10,000 and this weekend is the official launch to let people know what it’s all about !
The opportunity to try a new sport for the first time is often all a person needs to catch the sporting bug. The “y-sail” project is a great way for young people to try sailing and this project sets out to offer people a quality sporting experience that will encourage them to stay involved.
Who else is involved?
The club has had help from many members of the local community, Rob Lawson – Ilfracombe Harbour Master, Ilfracombe RNLI plus sailings National Governing Body the RYA, all contributing freely with the aim of raising the profile of this project and the opportunity being offered to local youngsters to go sailing.
We even have one of sailings highest profile individuals supporting the project – Steve White is a member of the sailing elite - one of the few people to have sailed single handed around the world in the Vendee Globe Challenge, Steve is an IYC member and is here in Ilfracombe this weekend together with his young Family, to help us launch the Y-SAIL project, thanks Steve!
Can anyone have a go today?
Today’s launch is aimed at youngsters and all they need is a signed permission slip from
their parents, to have a go.
My parents are not here today, can I still have a go?
Unfortunately no, we do need that parental permission, but we hope to run another session tomorrow (Sunday), weather permitting, so bring them down then. We will also run more of these taster sessions in the future, and these will be advertised through the club.
When are the training sessions usually held?
This launch weekend is all about creating awareness and interest. In addition to the youngsters who are already involved through the College, we want to collect names of any other people who think they may be interested. Once we have an idea of the level of interest and numbers of people, we will set out a schedule of summer & winter training sessions.
Can adults learn to dingy sail as well?
Yes!. This weekend is a launch and focussed more towards the youngsters,
but the Y-SAIL project is intended to benefit the wider community including adults. This weekend we are looking to gather names, contact details and generally raise interest.
Would I need my own equipment, such as wetsuit and life jacket?
Not for this weekend, we have a selection of buoyancy aids and wetsuits available for use, however if you take to it, most people prefer to have their own equipment.
How much Does all This Cost?
The taster sessions offered over this weekend are free but in the future there will be a nominal couple of pounds charged per session to cover the cost of fuel for running support boats and sundry expenses. Obviously, as this project is part of Ilfracombe Yacht Club, we need youngsters to join the club for insurance reasons but under 18 membership is FREE. Adults (18+) wanting to dinghy sail will also need to join the club, but adult membership is only £50 a year, however, anyone wishing to join the club this weekend can take advantage of the special Launch Weekend offer of half price membership!! .
OK - I’m interested, where do I find out more?
Just fill out the form overleaf and hand it to one of the organisers or drop it into the Yacht club. Someone will contact you to tell you what’s going on and when, once we have fully gauged the level of interest..
I don’t want to sail - but I want to support this great project, how can I help?That’s fine we are looking for all the help we can get. Obviously this is run by volunteers and funded by donations, so whether you can help teach sailing, help out with transporting dinghy’s, run a support boat or just make a good cup of tea, you are very welcome.
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